Sheffield United 1 Sunderland 0: Tom Davies' force of personality rams Blades to big victory

Some days you outplay the opposition, others you just have to barge past them through sheer force of personality.

Off beam in their passing, poor in their decision-making at times, rescued by a Michael Cooper penalty save and down to 10 men only minutes after Sunderland had a man sent off themselves, it was clear that if Sheffield United were to go top of the Championship on a cold night, they were going to have to do it ugly.

So they did.

Like the win it secured, it was both ugly and beautiful for Bramall Lane.

When the final whistle blew, the Blades players hoisted Davies in front of The Kop like he had scored the winner in a black-and-white cup final.

It was only the former Everton midfielder's second appearance of another injury-hit campaign, and his first goal for the club.

The details of this game will be quickly forgotten, but this is a victory the Blades could well be pulling out of the memory banks if they are lucky enough to be spraying champagne or riding in open-top buses in May. One-nil wins like this win promotions.

At times it came in spite of them.

The hosts had only just got themselves a foothold in the game when Harry Souttar stupidly handed it back.

It was only thanks toCooper that the Blades' impressive record of not conceding at home since the opening Bramall Lane Championship game of the season remains in tact.

The Blades were strangely off colour, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's ballooned attempt at a switch, Gustavo Hamer's outside-of-the-boot pass 15 yards behind its intended target just emblematic of thier poor passing throughout.

Sunderland, by contrast, looked sharp, moving the ball quickly and regularly releasing Tom Watson down their left.

Half an hour in, it looked like the visitors would get their deserved reward, Jack Robinson booked for a foul on Wilson Isidor but Cooper plunging to his left to keep out Patrick Roberts' penalty.

Five minutes later, Souttar was in the book too, Gavin Ward waving play on after his foul in the build-up to a move which saw Watson shoot wide, then going back to caution the giant Australian.

But with 40 minutes go, Sunderland dropped the initiative, the Blades pressing Luke O'Nien into giving up the ball and Hamer threading it to Tyrese Campbell, a virtual spectator until then.

With the striker in the D, Chris Mepham hacked him down and received a red card. Like Robinson he had denied a goalscoring opportunity but outside the area there was no double jeopardy to rescue him.

The initiative had swung to the Blades, but two minutes into stoppage time, Souttar gave it back.

He was about seven yards inside Sunderland's half when he pulled back Isidor, s if he had forgotten he was on a booking. Chris Wilder blanked him as he headed down the tunnel.

The home side's scrappiness continued in the second half but they were at least determined to push for a second. Sunderland remained the better side in possession in a very open game.

Campbell put down a marker within a minute of the restart, but Harrison Burrows's hot after his powerful run curled just wide. He also narrowly missed the target from a free-kick after Rak-Sakyi twisted his way through.

At the other end, Cooper saved at his near post from Isidor and Robinson and Alfie Gilchrist – moved inside to centre-back after Souttar's dismissal – made tackles which were as brave on the night as they were accurate to stop the goalkeeper having more to do.

It contrasted with the doziness of Vinicous Souza, robbed in his own area. Isidor's shot flashed wide.

And so it to-ed and fro-ed, Paterson making a double save to keep out Souza from distance, then Femi Seriki at point-blank range range.

Souza cleared Dan Ballard's goalbound header from a corner Roberts won.

The eventually Davies decided he had had enough of all this, and forced his way through.

Still the game see-sawed, Hamer rippling the side netting, Gilchrist throwing himself in the way of an Eliezer Mayenda shot and a Seriki effort at the other end blocked just as heroically.

But Sheffield United had done enough. Just. On nights like this, just is plenty.

Sheffield United: Cooper; Gilchrist, Souttar, Robinson, Burrows (Norrington-Davies 87); Souza, Peck; Rak-Sakyi (T Davies 76), O'Hare (Seriki HT), Hamer (McCallum 90+2); Campbell (One 76).

Unused substitutes: Shackleton, A Davies, Marsh, Brooks.

Sunderland: Patterson; Hume, Mepham, Ballard, O'Nien; Neil, Bellingham; Roberts (Mayenda 76), Rigg (Connolly 84), Watson (Alese 76); Isidor (Aouchiche 84).

Unused substitutes: Rusyn, Moore, Aleksic, Hjelde, Johnson.

Referee: G Ward (Surrey).